


Than To Recieve

by andlightplay



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-21
Updated: 2013-04-21
Packaged: 2017-12-09 02:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/769132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andlightplay/pseuds/andlightplay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas in the Hub. (set somewhere around "From Out Of The Rain" because I seem to remember it being cold then)</p><p>Originally <a href="http://andlightplay.livejournal.com/20038.html#cutid2">posted on LJ</a> 29/12/10</p>
            </blockquote>





	Than To Recieve

In the second week of November, Ianto produces a bowl at the end of the team meeting and slides it into the middle of the table, clearing his throat. "Secret Santa, 's that time of year again." Everyone reaches in and takes a slip of neatly folded paper, and then they spend fifteen minutes arguing over how much to spend, Jack finally deciding on "one more expensive gift or two cheaper ones. And no Owen, 'cheaper' does not mean 'from the Pound Shop'," and chuckling over Owen's protests.

A few days later, after a quiet day and the Rift Predictor saying a quiet night, Ianto bundles himself up against the cold and drags Jack out shopping. "I like to be organised, and you won't do it otherwise," he explains calmly when Jack raises his eyebrows, and Jack shrugs, unrepentant, and grins.

"Okay then Mr Jones, lead on!"

*

They end up buying a small light-up Christmas tree too, which Ianto sets up on one of the spare desks on December the first and stands critically back to watch it lurch in a dizzy circle. "It's the thought that counts?" Gwen suggests, choking back her laughter, and Ianto huffs and allows a small smile to quirk his mouth.

"It's to put the Secret Santa presents under, that's all."

Four wrapped gifts (and one sleek black bag) do indeed accumulate under there as the weeks go on, and people (read: Owen) take to poking them whenever they walk past or scrutinising them whenever they have a free moment, trying to figure out what's inside. The only thing they know for sure though is that the bag is addressed to Tosh, who dimples with pleasure every time she sees it.

*

When Gwen comes into work on Christmas Eve, she finds Tosh curled on the sofa sipping a mug of rich, frothy hot chocolate and looking completely at peace with the world.

"Morning Gwen!" Jack calls from the balcony, beaming at her and then, when she waves back and takes a step towards her desk: "Ah, don't move! Mistletoe!" Gwen looks up, and there is indeed a clump of green leaves and white berries dangling from the top of the doorway. Jack bounces down the stairs and comes jauntily over, sweeping her merrily down over his arm like a Forties movie starlet and kissing her warmly and very thoroughly. "What d'ya want to drink? Ianto's got cinnamon, if you want coffee, or there's hot chocolate," he says afterwards, twinkling down at her, and she manages to collect herself enough to nod. "Coffee?" he guesses, now outright grinning, and she nods again and makes herself uncurl her arms from round his neck. 

When she turns her computer on it burbles "Jingle Bells" at her as it starts up, and when she looks over Tosh is smiling down at her mug. 

"One cinnamon coffee," Ianto announces, coming out of the kitchen, and Gwen takes one look at him and cracks up. "Jack assures me it looks quite dashing," Ianto says dryly, flicking the bobble of the santa hat away from his eyes, "and red is, apparently, my colour."

"Oh no, it looks-" Gwen says, still giggling as she accepts the coffee from him and inhales the scented steam blissfully, "-adorable, actually. Wouldn't you say, Tosh?"

"Very adorable," Tosh agrees, and Jack, who'd disappeared down into the cells once he was done ravishing Gwen, chooses that moment to reappear.

"Is that Ianto? He's always adorable," he says, wandering over and slinging an arm around Ianto's waist (and, judging from Ianto's carefully blank face, probably taking the opportunity to give him a good grope too). He leans in and lowers his voice conspiratorially. "I'm trying to convince him to leave the hat on tonight."

Ianto rolls his eyes up to the ceiling. "What have I told you about keeping some things to yourself?" he asks resignedly, and Jack grins and opens his mouth to answer when the tell-tale grating noise of the door opening signals Owen's arrival.

"Hold that thought," he says cheerfully, patting Ianto's hip, and strides across the room to Owen, who's shaking snow off his scarf and muttering. "Mistletoe, Owen!" he trills, and Owen just has time to snap his head up in shock before Jack's on him, one hand on the back of his head and dipping him just as easily as he did Gwen. Owen kind of flails a little, and then his hands come up and fist tight in Jack's lapels. 

(Every time it's brought up afterwards, he steadfastly maintains it was because he was terrified Jack was going to drop him.)

*

They open the presents over lunch, sitting in the board room and tucking in to turkey and stuffing sandwiches with mince pies to follow. When Ianto opens his present he is greeted with vivid rainbow stripes, and his eyes go immediately to Owen. "Pull it out," Owen instructs impatiently, and when Ianto does two pieces of paper flutter out as it unravels. "The university's having an old film night at the end of January, so I got you a couple of tickets," Owen says off-handedly. "And that tie, cause the moment I saw it I thought of you, mate. And I mean, let's face it, you can't look any more of a wanker than you do right now." There no malice in it though, and indeed he almost sounds fond, so Ianto lets it pass.

Gwen is very pleased with the silky, irridescent pink-y scarf and shimmering silvery purse that Ianto bought her, immediately wrapping the former around her neck and lunging most of the way across the table to hug him. Owen gets two small boxes, both containing cufflinks - one set polished silver and black and the other saying 'Trust me' and 'I'm a Doctor', which he chuckles over and says thank you for, but gives Tosh only a cursory smile and a kind of half-arsed hug. When Tosh opens the black bag she finds a rectangular box in plush red velvet, and it opens to reveal a gorgeously intricate necklace, all purples and turquoises and blues set in silver, and when Jack grins at her delight she flings herself bodily at him in an overwhelmed hug.

Jack's present sets Gwen off sniggering even before he's opened it, though she tries to hide it, and Ianto readies his poker face in preparation. The first gift actually turns out to be a waistcoat, bright with brass buttons and silk, but Gwen's clearly eager for him to get to the second, smaller package and now Tosh too is pressing her fist to her mouth to stifle the giggles. Ianto just gets a glimpse of cardboard encasing something smaller and plastic, and then Jack full-on smirks at him as the girls dissolve into cackles, and spins it round.

"Coffee-flavoured body paint," he proclaims gleefully, and it takes a considerable amout of effort on Ianto's part to merely quirk an eyebrow rather than say, bury his face in his hands (he used to have a private life, he's sure of it, but that was a good while ago because, as he has discovered, being...involved with Jack Harkness is really not condusive to that sort of thing at all).

"We know how you love your coffee!" Gwen manages after a moment, fingers to her mouth and almost holding the laughter back, and Ianto raises both eyebrows this time because they all know that's true, but this is still something of a leap.

"Ohhhh, he does," Jack agrees wickedly, eyes on Ianto. "Trust me ladies, that was definitely money well spent."

"Well then, I think that's all we need to hear about that," Owen says promptly, and Jack grins at his predictability but lets him steer the conversation away, taking the opportunity afforded by the others' distraction to throw Ianto a wink and a somehow incredibly suggestive smirk.

*

In the end there's only one call-out, a dog infested with alien parasites that make him somewhat manic and also glow in the dark. Jack and Tosh root through the Archives and find something that, with a little jury-rigging, Jack proclaims suitable pest control, and they both whisk off in the SUV. Gwen leaves soon after they come back, citing Christmas dinner with Rhys, and Owen and Tosh stay long enough to have a team Christmas drink or two at the local pub before excusing themselves.

"Well then!" Jack says, clapping his hands cheerfully as they re-enter the Hub and glancing coyly back at Ianto over his shoulder. "How do you propose we entertain ourselves, Mr Jones?"

"Let me tidy up for the night sir, and then I'm sure we'll think of something," Ianto answers, straight-faced, and Jack grins and claps him on the shoulder, hand sliding all the way down Ianto's arm to his thigh as Jack saunters away.

Most of the things that needed doing had been done in the afternoon, so Ianto finishes up pretty quickly and then looks up at Jack's office - the light is on but Jack is down in the cells, probably wishing Janet a happy Christmas. When he comes back up Ianto is waiting for him, leaning against the edge of the desk and smiling slightly, and Jack, as always, crowds right up into his space, the santa hat hanging endearingly down one side of his head and a smile lurking on his mouth. 

"Merry Christmas, Jack," Ianto says softly, and lifts the hand he's kept behind his back, the mistletoe from above the door suspended between his first two fingers.

The smile blossoms across Jack's mouth, his eyes glittering. "Ianto Jones, you sly dog," he says, warm and fond, and leans in the final couple of inches. He tastes like brandy and rum, and one of his hands slides up Ianto's arm and curls around his wrist, helping to hold the mistletoe above them as they kiss.


End file.
